Expectations of Users of the Water Action Hub

The Water Action Hub was developed to facilitate collaboration and partnership amongst a wide array of stakeholders who have a shared goal of improving local water resource management. In this spirit, and in order to foster effective and equitable collective action, responsible engagement is essential amongst all parties utilizing the platform.

In November 2010, the CEO Water Mandate released the Guide to Responsible Business Engagement with Water Policy (Guide to Responsible Engagement). The Guide to Responsible Engagement presented five principles that foster effective, sustainable, and equitable on-the-ground collective action engagements related to water. These principles apply to water-related engagements facilitated by this tool and should thus frame and inform the activities pursued through the Hub. We ask that Hub users strive to adhere to the five principles outlined by the Guide:

Principles of Responsible Business Engagement in Water Management and Policy

Principle 1: Advance sustainable water management. The engagement must be motivated by a genuine interest in furthering efficient, equitable, and ecologically sustainable water management.

Principle 2: Respect public and private roles. Responsible corporate engagement entails ensuring that activities do not infringe upon, but rather support, the government’s mandate and responsibilities to develop and implement water policy. Acting consistently with this principle includes a commitment to work within a well-regulated (and enforced) environment.

Principle 3: Strive for inclusiveness and partnerships. Responsible engagement promotes inclusiveness and equitable, genuine, and meaningful partnerships across a wide range of interests.

Principle 4: Be pragmatic and consider integrated engagement. Responsible engagement proceeds in a coherent manner that recognizes the interconnectedness between water and many other policy arenas. It is a proactive approach, rather than one responsive to events, and it is cognizant of, and sensitive to, the environmental, social, cultural, and political contexts within which it takes place.

Principle 5: Be accountable and transparent. Companies responsibly engaged in water management and policy are fully transparent and accountable for their role in a way that ensures alignment with sustainable water management and promotes trust among stakeholders.

In addition, in order to effectively foster collaboration and partnership, meaningful participation is expected of all Hub Users. To ensure that all those who are on the Hub are active participants, the following policy applies:

All users are required to enter organizational and/or project information for their organization
or be affiliated with an existing organization/project. Failure to do so will result in account suspension.

New registrants will have ten (10) work days beginning from when they first register to create an organization and/or project profile or join an existing organization/project. After this timeframe, if the registrant has failed to do so, their accounts will be suspended.

Recognizing that there may be circumstances that will require additional time to create a profile, we ask that such individuals needing more time contact the Hub administrator at wateractionhub@unglobalcompact.org.

In addition, users should not use the Water Action Hub for overt political activities or to construe information on the Water Action Hub as information disclosure about an organization.

We hope and trust that following these general guidelines will facilitate robust partnerships and lead to real on-the-ground improvements in water resource management globally.